Compare and contrast the diversity of Aboriginal Spirituality from its traditional beginnings to contemporary Australian society, whilst evaluating the importance of the Dreaming, kinship, language, elders, skin names and totems.
Throughout the ages Aboriginal spirituality has evolved and adapted in order to find a place within contemporary society. Prior to the white settlement, Aboriginal spirituality consisted of various aspects of belief, with several rituals and ceremonies used as a form of expression. The traditional spirituality of the Aboriginal people, although differing depending on the tribe or clan, shared various concepts, including the vitally important system of kinship. Kinship was used as a structure of relationships. It determined what tribe or group one belonged to through certain features and characteristics of that particular individual. A major defining factor of an individuals kinship relations was evident through the hundreds of independent languages that existed before colonization. Although the majority of Aboriginal people knew several languages at a time, they defined themselves using the original language of their tribe. This identification of one's place was furthered into discovering one's family or clan. This was completed through divisions into skin groups, otherwise known as moieties, and provided the Aboriginal people with privileges and duties to their tribe. The skin groups were developed through the allocation of skin names among each individual Aboriginal person. After birth, every Aboriginal baby is given a skin name by an elder, which can vary from any animal, from a koala to a snake, and allow one to determine their identity. As with the diversity of language, the skin name determines an Aboriginal persons kinship, as it defines their relationships with other Aboriginal people who are of the same skin group. For instance, a koala person will find relations with another koala person. Skin names are also of vital importance as they determine such important factors of an Aboriginal person life, such as who they may marry, and prevents abominations, such as incest, from occurring. Several other methods of defining one's self have been developed by the traditional Aboriginal spirituality, including the use of totems and art. The totems can be anything, from flora to fauna to any shape or land form. They, like the system of kinship, determine to what tribe an Aboriginal person belongs according to where they were born. Each totem is a symbol of a specific ancestral being that belongs to a particular bit of land.
Due to several defining factors of Aboriginal and Australian history, the contemporary Aboriginal spirituality has faced various changes. Although the majority of the contemporary Aboriginal people have adapted to Western habits, and have been converted to Western religions, traditional Aboriginal spirituality still plays a major role in their lives. Statistics record that the highest group of Aboriginal adherents in contemporary Australian society is Christianity. Despite the early Christian settlers' beliefs of the Aboriginal spirituality being in relation with the Devil, certain Christian priests have taken a more inclusive look into the attitudes of Aboriginal spirituality. However, this open attitude was not always the case with 'white' Australians. As the European settlers first began to spread across the lands of Australia, the Aboriginal spirituality faced a great threat of destruction. The concepts of assimilation, dispossession and the effect of the Stolen Generations all threatened the traditional spirituality of the Aboriginal people, as they began to adapt to the 'white' way of living. With this assimilation came the converting of the majority of Aboriginal people to Christianity. Although these factors changed the traditional Aboriginal spirituality, they did not wipe it completely out. The original beliefs and ideas of the past generations still hold a great influence over the contemporary Aboriginal beliefs. For instance, the Dreaming, which in the past was viewed as a an order of events separate and different from the 'now', the 'past' and 'future', still holds a major influence in the way Aboriginal people live their lives in contemporary society. Before white settlement, the Dreaming consisted of various stories that explained the creation of everything by the ancestral beings, as well as the inclusion of several concepts that defined an individual, allowed one to realize their identity, and form relationships with others, like kinships. The Dreaming still exists today, however has adapted to modern times. Certain ceremonies of the traditional Aboriginal spirituality still exist today, and certain new ones have risen. Several new Dreamings have also risen from the contemporary world, such as the Toyota Dreaming and the "Cough", which arose due to certain aspects faced by modern society.
Throughout the ages Aboriginal spirituality has evolved and adapted in order to find a place within contemporary society. Prior to the white settlement, Aboriginal spirituality consisted of various aspects of belief, with several rituals and ceremonies used as a form of expression. The traditional spirituality of the Aboriginal people, although differing depending on the tribe or clan, shared various concepts, including the vitally important system of kinship. Kinship was used as a structure of relationships. It determined what tribe or group one belonged to through certain features and characteristics of that particular individual. A major defining factor of an individuals kinship relations was evident through the hundreds of independent languages that existed before colonization. Although the majority of Aboriginal people knew several languages at a time, they defined themselves using the original language of their tribe. This identification of one's place was furthered into discovering one's family or clan. This was completed through divisions into skin groups, otherwise known as moieties, and provided the Aboriginal people with privileges and duties to their tribe. The skin groups were developed through the allocation of skin names among each individual Aboriginal person. After birth, every Aboriginal baby is given a skin name by an elder, which can vary from any animal, from a koala to a snake, and allow one to determine their identity. As with the diversity of language, the skin name determines an Aboriginal persons kinship, as it defines their relationships with other Aboriginal people who are of the same skin group. For instance, a koala person will find relations with another koala person. Skin names are also of vital importance as they determine such important factors of an Aboriginal person life, such as who they may marry, and prevents abominations, such as incest, from occurring. Several other methods of defining one's self have been developed by the traditional Aboriginal spirituality, including the use of totems and art. The totems can be anything, from flora to fauna to any shape or land form. They, like the system of kinship, determine to what tribe an Aboriginal person belongs according to where they were born. Each totem is a symbol of a specific ancestral being that belongs to a particular bit of land.
Due to several defining factors of Aboriginal and Australian history, the contemporary Aboriginal spirituality has faced various changes. Although the majority of the contemporary Aboriginal people have adapted to Western habits, and have been converted to Western religions, traditional Aboriginal spirituality still plays a major role in their lives. Statistics record that the highest group of Aboriginal adherents in contemporary Australian society is Christianity. Despite the early Christian settlers' beliefs of the Aboriginal spirituality being in relation with the Devil, certain Christian priests have taken a more inclusive look into the attitudes of Aboriginal spirituality. However, this open attitude was not always the case with 'white' Australians. As the European settlers first began to spread across the lands of Australia, the Aboriginal spirituality faced a great threat of destruction. The concepts of assimilation, dispossession and the effect of the Stolen Generations all threatened the traditional spirituality of the Aboriginal people, as they began to adapt to the 'white' way of living. With this assimilation came the converting of the majority of Aboriginal people to Christianity. Although these factors changed the traditional Aboriginal spirituality, they did not wipe it completely out. The original beliefs and ideas of the past generations still hold a great influence over the contemporary Aboriginal beliefs. For instance, the Dreaming, which in the past was viewed as a an order of events separate and different from the 'now', the 'past' and 'future', still holds a major influence in the way Aboriginal people live their lives in contemporary society. Before white settlement, the Dreaming consisted of various stories that explained the creation of everything by the ancestral beings, as well as the inclusion of several concepts that defined an individual, allowed one to realize their identity, and form relationships with others, like kinships. The Dreaming still exists today, however has adapted to modern times. Certain ceremonies of the traditional Aboriginal spirituality still exist today, and certain new ones have risen. Several new Dreamings have also risen from the contemporary world, such as the Toyota Dreaming and the "Cough", which arose due to certain aspects faced by modern society.
- Hyllus Maris